[HPforGrownups] Fudge

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 55285


Dina wrote:

>I completely agree with you, though I would also add to the list that Fudge
>has to answer to the public while Dumbledore does not. In fact, I think of
>Fudge as being much like a politician near election time. He's very
>concerned about the Ministry's reputation and cares about what the MoM
>appears to accomplish rather than what it actually accomplishes (ie: he
>wants to soothe the public to avoid panic and detour blame away from the
>Ministry).

I wonder how (and I mean "by what mechanism") you would see Fudge having to
answer to the public?

It seems to me that the only apparent means that the MoM have for gauging
public views are the volume of complaints (as happened after the riot at the
Cup Final) and the Daily Prophet. Both of them are imperfect, though. By
definition, the only people who complain are those who have a gripe to
complain about, so you will always get a negative response (and of course
not only will those who are happy never write in, a lot of those who aren't
happy don't write in either, they just grumble to their friends!). The
Prophet seems _never_ to have a good word to say for anyone and behaves a
bit like a caricature of some of the more scabrous UK tabloids.

Now the Ministry _know_ that this is a problem and could therefore quite
happily ignore any expressions of public discontent, secure in the knowledge
that they can safely discount it and that in any case "a week is a long time
in politics" and by brazening things out, once a little time has gone by,
then everyone will have forgotten about it.

This can work for Fudge for a little while, but the problem with ignoring
the revived DEs is that Voldemort will not go away. The next thing that will
happen will be the resumption of terrorist atrocities, possibly the old
tactic of destroying families, possibly taking things to a higher level.
Consider the effect on wizarding public opinion of an attack on Diagon
Alley. Or on a Quidditch match.

I think that Fudge will eventually have to go. But it will be internal
manoeuvring that will remove him. And who will replace him will depend on
the strength of the good and bad factions/

Cheers

Ffred

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Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri